Pages

Friday, 24 January 2014

The first time I tried haggis was 15 years ago when one of my brothers married a Scottish lass up in Edinburgh. If I recall correctly, it was used to stuff a chicken galantine, and I was hugely relieved that it wasn't as offensive as I'd been led to believe.
Several years later, I found myself at their house for a Burns Night supper where my sister-in-law began proceedings by reciting a Robert Burns poem, which to this day, my husband refers to as "when Gayle sang to a haggis".

Great Chieftain of the Pudding Race

Haggis was relatively difficult to come by down South however - at least, you wouldn't see it in your local butchers or supermarket.I remember when I first saw a MacSween's a few years ago and was delighted that the "real deal" had made it to England.Now of course, you can get a whole selection - I picked up this lot from my Morrisons, including a vegetarian haggis for my mother-in-law which is presumably made of sawdust and oats.

Haggiiii

I even picked up a packet of cocktail haggis which unfurls rather alarmingly (don't say what you see).

Cocktail haggis

I've grown incredibly fond of the stuff now. If you've never tried haggis, it's like a gently spiced, open-textured sausage and really quite versatile, although nothing beats the haggis, neeps and tatties combo.If you'd like to experiment though, recipes exist for haggis wontons and haggis samosas. I've made haggis larb and haggis sausage rolls, but this is one of my favourite recipes - haggis summer rolls.Yes, I know, it's Vietnamese-Scottish fusion. But I stick all sorts of things in summer rolls - from siu yuk to roast duck to Fridge Raiders to PEK (a bit like SPAM but tastier) and they've all worked brilliantly.

Try these for Burns Night Supper tomorrow, or indeed any night you feel like ...

Large clean work surface or chopping board (bigger surface area than a rice paper wrapper)

Large tupperware or oven dish (big enough to hold a rice paper wrapper)

Rolling up the summer roll

METHODSoak the noodles in just-boiled water for 10-15 minutes, drain, and snip into chipolata-sized clumps. Whisk the dipping sauce ingredients in a bowl and taste.
Adjust according to your own palate – if it's not salty enough for you,
add a little fish sauce and so on. Set to one side.Fill the large dish with warm water (by warm, I mean eg water from a kettle that was boiled and left to rest for 10 minutes).

Time to assemble your summer rolls. Lightly dip a rice
paper wrapper in the warm water, keeping it flat, but so every part of
the wrapper is thoroughly moist. Immediately place the wrapper flat on your board
or work surface. It will feel too stiff at first but will soften up.

The aim is to make a sausage-sized filling for the roll.
Layer the ingredients as follows: place a lettuce leaf horizontally across the wrapper. Then add a clump of noodles on top of this,
and then a tablespoonful of haggis. Finish with a generous
scattering of herbs and 4-5 chives.

Fold the
bottom edge of the wrapper cleanly over the top of the filling and press
down the edges, to make a rough semi-circle. Now fold over both sides of the wrapper and press
down so it looks a bit like an envelope. Finally, tightly roll up the whole summer roll like a fat cigar.

Repeat for the other rolls. You will have to refresh the warm water in the oven dish.

When you've made all the rolls,
serve immediately with the dipping sauce. If you're saving them for later,
store in an airtight Tupperware in the fridge interleaved with clingfilm so they don't dry out or stick together and
eat them within a day.

1 clump of shimeji (beech mushrooms) or handful of shiitake or chestnut mushrooms

2 tbsp ponzu

Mix the salmon marinade ingredients together and then slather all over the salmon fillets. You don't need salt as the miso is quite salty. Place the salmon skin side down in a small ovenproof dish or baking tray and cover with clingfilm. Chill for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour before you intend to cook.

Cook the soba noodles according to the packet instructions and set to one side. Whisk the noodle dressing ingredients together in a bowl or jug and set to one side.

If making the mushrooms, slice the bottom section off the clump of shimeji to separate them or slice the shiitake/chestnut mushrooms. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan or wok and add the mushrooms and the ponzu and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Set to one side in the pan.

Remove the salmon from the fridge. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan or flat griddle pan on medium-high. Fry the salmon fillets skin side up for 4 minutes, and then flip carefully so the skin is facing down and then fry for another 4 minutes so the skin browns and crisps up.

(Orput your grill on its highest setting, stick in the dish of salmon and grill skin side down for 4 minutes, and then flip carefully so the skin is facing up and then grill for another 4 minutes so the skin browns and crisps up).

When the salmon is ready, divide the noodles between two plates and drizzle the dressing all over. Place the salmon (and the mushrooms) on the noodles, sprinkle with the spring onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately. Eat the skin. For the love of all that's holy, EAT THE GODDAMN DELICIOUS CRISPY SKIN.

*Ponzu is a Japanese dipping/cooking sauce which you can buy in
bottles or make yourself by mixing dashi, citrus juice and mirin in this
proportion - 2:2:1.